At least 26 Iraqis were
killed and 13 more were wounded in the latest round of violence. Reports resumed
out of Mosul after several days of relative quiet, but now Baghdad appears unusually
peaceful. Meanwhile, a Turkish general accused
local authorities in northern Iraq of tolerating Kurdish separatists.

In
Mosul, eleven people
were killed, including women and children, during a U.S.-led raid on a building.
Bullets were exchanged before a suicide bomber detonated his vest. One
child was injured. Some witnesses say
that they victims were killed by U.S. gunfire after U.S. troops were attacked
by the bomber.

A chief prosecutor of the Jalawla criminal court system
has resigned
over what he said was interference from the Interior Ministry. Over the last several
weeks the central government has sought to increase its authority in Jalawla and
other predominantly Kurdish areas of Diyala province. This has led to clashes
with local security personnel and accusations of harassment from local leaders.
Many Iraqis still fear Interior Ministry personnel as the organization had at
one time been was synonymous with sectarian death squads. Although the situation
has improved, corruption still appears to be rampant within the ministry. Many
in Jalawla would like the Kurdish Peshmerga to continue monitoring security there.

A day after significant clashes, Turkish general Hasan Igsiz accused
Kurdish authorities in northern Iraq of tolerating Kurdistan Workers Party
(PKK) rebels. The rebels allegedly attack Turkish targets from bases in Iraq,
while Turkey regularly stages cross-border operations against them. The
PKK deny
that yesterday's attack came from inside Iraq and said it was launched from inside
Turkey.

The PKK wants an autonomous Kurdish homeland across parts of Turkey,
Iraq, Iran, Syria and Armenia. Turkey wants Kurdish authorities to declare the
PKK rebels terrorists instead and treat them as such. Turkey is limited
in what can be done for fear of alienating allies, but five border posts were
closed
today in response to yesterday's incidents.